The company in South Africa is part of the international recall of "select canned dog food batches due to potentially elevated levels of vitamin D".

"While vitamin D is an essential nutrient for dogs, ingestion of elevated levels can lead to potential health issues depending on the level of vitamin D and the length of exposure, and dogs may exhibit symptoms such as vomiting, loss of appetite, increased thirst, increased urination, excessive drooling, and weight loss," said its statement.

"Vitamin D, when consumed at very high levels, can lead to serious health issues in dogs including renal dysfunction."

On Facebook, people are sharing their grief, with photographs of pets who died. Jeri Lynn from Ohio, US, posted: "We just picked up our girl's ashes up today, thanks to this food. It killed our beloved border collie within a week." Alyce Rathburn in the UK wrote: "Both of my dogs very sick from this food! Heartbreaking!"

Kelly Bone from Michigan, US, posted a photograph of her poodle Duncan, saying he had died after consuming Hills products. "I have spoken to Hills twice. They explained that they were using a third-party supplier who did not adequately test their product. When I asked 'What quality controls does your company have to ensure the products you receive from suppliers meet quality standards?', the response was 'We are putting those into place now'. Well, Hills Nutrition... it is too late for my little Duncan. This is inexcusable. I am so sorry I trusted this company."

The company said in its recall statement: "Hill’s has identified and isolated the error and, to prevent this from happening again, we have required our supplier to implement additional quality testing prior to their release of ingredients. In addition to our existing safety processes, we are adding our own further testing of incoming ingredients."

Advice for people who had already bought the product included these notes from Hills: "Pet parents who purchased the product with the specific batch numbers listed should discontinue feeding and dispose of the product or return unopened product to their veterinary outlet for a refund."

"Pet parents with dogs who have consumed any of the products listed and are exhibiting any of these signs should contact their veterinarian. In most cases, complete recovery is expected after discontinuation of feeding."

Hill's South Africa is also pulling two other canned dog food batches from the shelves, "due to levels of vitamin D that do not meet our product specification". These are Hill's Science Plan Canine Adult Stew 354g [and] Hill's Prescription Diet Canine Derm Defense Stew 354g."

Hills nutritional adviser Guy Fyvie told Cape Talk: "We have not had any confirmed cases of disease of sickness in South Africa, and certainly no deaths."

Most of the affected products were "still in our warehouses", Fyvie added.

The February product recall statement by Hills adds that no dry foods, cat foods or treats are affected.

Wonder how many more lawsuits will be filed? Glad to see this happening, honestly. These pet food companies have the ability to test their food but they don't. Other companies started recalls in November, yet Hills waited until the end of January. WHY? https://t.co/k3N85FSaTD

My 4 year old dog was eating this for a week before she died. She had normal blood tests on Friday. She ate your food on Saturday. Wed her liver was failing, thurs kidneys failed, friday died of a heart attack. She had just had upset stomach. It killed her. pic.twitter.com/ZDnKkSEQKH